Major League Cricket Guide: All You Need to Know About the Upcoming Big Tournament

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This will be the third edition of the tournament, starting with a rematch of last year's final between San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom

The third season of Major League Cricket is upon us, with only hours remaining until the first match between last year's finalists, the San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom. The opening match will be played at the historic Oakland Coliseum, which has hosted baseball and American football matches in the past.

Changes at the Top

Six teams -- Washington Freedom, San Francisco Unicorns, MI New York, Los Angeles Knight Riders, Texas Super Kings, and Seattle Orcas -- will be competing for the ultimate prize. Four of them will have new skippers this year, with only Faf du Plessis of the Super Kings and Corey Anderson of the Unicorns retaining their leadership roles.

MI New York has appointed Nicholas Pooran as their new captain. Pooran retired from international cricket on Tuesday and will now focus on franchise leagues around the world. His fellow countryman, Jason Holder, will lead the LA Knight Riders but will miss the opening two matches due to international commitments. Sunil Narine will step in as captain in his absence. Glenn Maxwell will captain the Freedom due to limited participation by Steve Smith this season, while Heinrich Klaasen will lead the Orcas.

New Entries and Missing Stars

There will be plenty of new faces in this season's MLC, with many big stars joining different teams. David Warner, Australia's T20 legend, will feature for the first time this season and will play for the Orcas. The Orcas' owners also own the Delhi Capitals in the IPL and Dubai Capitals in the ILT20, so Warner is already familiar with the franchise's vision.

Sherfane Rutherford has been a prominent name in T20 cricket this season and has experience playing in some of the biggest leagues in the world, including the IPL. He will be a vital asset for LAKR this season.

Mitchell Owen had a breakthrough season with the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL, claiming the trophy with a match-winning century in the final. He then went on to play in the PSL for Peshawar Zalmi and for the Punjab Kings in the IPL. Owen will be joining Washington Freedom, coached by Ricky Ponting, who was also the coach of PBKS and HH.

Another great addition is Kiwi pacer Ben Sears, who will join Owen at the Freedom. Ponting has been keeping an eye on Sears for a while, as he was once considered to replace the injured Lockie Ferguson at PBKS. Now, under Ponting's leadership, Sears will be looking to impress in his first MLC season.

However, not everything is smooth for MLC this season. The biggest star in T20 cricket, Rashid Khan, will miss the tournament, along with star all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai. Both players have been playing continuously over the past 12 months and just completed the IPL. In need of rest, both have opted out of this season.

There's also the issue of the new travel ban imposed by the US government on citizens of some countries, including Afghanistan. Though Naveen-ul-Haq (MINY), Noor Ahmad (TSK), and Waqar Salamkheil (Orcas) have joined their respective teams, doubts still remain over the participation of Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who are awaiting visas to travel for MLC.

Format

MLC follows the regular round-robin format in which all teams play against each other to qualify for the playoffs. This format is commonly followed in most franchise cricket tournaments as well as football leagues. In the playoffs, the first and second-ranked teams face off in Qualifier, while the 3rd and 4th play in the Eliminator. The loser of Qualifier 1 and the winner of the Eliminator then compete in Challenger for a place in the final.

The league will be played from June 12 to July 13. Dallas will host the final at the Grand Prairie Stadium. The majority of matches will take place at Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill, including a double-header on July 4.